Experience and Preferred Format

The first focus group (N=5) interview I conducted included participants ranging from the ages 50-70. The respondents in this group have been anonymized to Madelyn, Tom, Dave, Vera and Sarah. Regarding their experience with instruction manuals, all stated that they use instruction manuals on a regular basis when acquiring a new product. However, two re-spondents problematized to important factors. Madelyn stated: “I use instruction manuals, however, it really depends on what type of product I am assembling. If it is easy to assem-ble, I like to do it on my own”. Another respondent, Tom, agreed to Madelyn’s statement, and added “Well, I generally use instruction manuals, but sometimes they are too long, and the English is really bad, and that really annoys me” (Tom). The final three stated that they always read and use the instruction manual.

When asking the respondents about the preferred format of the instruction manual, the respondents stated in tandem that they all preferred a paper-based instruction manual be-cause it gives them a feeling of proximity, and that one easily can leaf through the pages.

However, while they all preferred paper-based instruction manuals, they agreed that a video indeed can be easy to follow as well. Both Madelyn, Tom and Dave said that they believed that they could “benefit from a video” (Madelyn) and that “YouTube can be a viable and easy way to understand the instruction manual” (Tom). Dave Stated that“if I see a video, I really do not need the paper-format”. Interestingly, Vera and Sarah initiated a discussion on how using only video could save paper and be eco-friendlier. I concluded this section of the interview by asking if the packaging of the product had referred them to a web-based instruction manual system easy to find and use on a computer or a cellphone, whether they still would prefer to have a paper-based instruction a quote from Tom sums up this discussed quite well:“If they had referred me to a website, well of course I would have followed their instruction and used the web-based system. I guess if I had been referred to the web, I would get kind of a sense of community. Paper is lonelier”, all participants agreed.

The second focus group (N=6), which included participants from 25-35, were quite di-vided when it came to the frequent use of instruction manuals when assembling a new prod-uct. One Respondent, Daniel, stated that “Preferably I try to do it on my own without the instruction manual, but that is mainly due to laziness. I expect the product to work as fast as possible, and its sometimes really a hassle with the instruction manual. It is so much to read, and it is annoying that instruction manuals are written in so many languages, you have to spend time just locating the right language”. Respondent Jack and Maya stated that “it depends on how complicated the product is”. Maya elaborates further:“well sometimes I get too impatient and I try to wing it because it is such a hassle reading the instruction manual”.

Carmen said that she always uses the instruction manuals, but that“some are too detailed, there is a lot of text. I find those with only pictures the least intuitive. But generally, most instruction manuals are not intuitive, it is so easy to misinterpret a word or a picture, which is really frustrating”.

Regarding the participants’ preferred format, all but one respondent preferred video-based as well as web-video-based, however, they all expressed certain objections to the use of web-based instruction manuals. Daniel stated, “well I really like to use YouTube, it is so intuitive and easy to follow”. Jack agreed by saying“I would totally opt for a web-based in-struction manual system. I mean it seems much better and faster”. However Daniel and Jack also had certain reservations toward the use of web-based instruction manuals (although this was still their preferred format):“Although I really like video and to use YouTube for assem-bling products, its like a new step to turn on my computer, right? Its like yet an additional step to get what I need. But all in all, I do prefer reading instruction manuals on the web”.

4.2 Evaluation 1 47 Jack agreed to this and added “[…]you know, if the system only works for a computer, or is only designed for a computer, I guess you would lose some users. Because, what is the one device that is always in our hands? Our cellphones! So, I think it is vital that the system is designed also for cellphones”(Jack). Susan were the one with diverging perception of this question and said that“It is so much easier with a paper-based instruction manual because it is always in the package. I would always prefer to use it first”.

Interestingly, all but one of the participants in the third focus group (N=6) ranging from 25 to 35, expressed that they rarely use the instruction manual. Max stated that “I always start assembling the product on my own. If I have to, I will pick up the instruction manual, but only if I have to”. Greg agrees“Preferably I want to do it by myself. For me its kind of a game, I find it as a quite playful activity”. But sometimes it depends on how much I know about the product before I bother looking for the instruction manual. Oh, and I often find Ikea’s instruction manuals easy to understand!”. Only Rose said that she always uses instruction manuals, even those from Ikea“I do this slavish without even thinking about it. I would feel completely lost without it”. Rose was the only one in this group that felt that she needed an instruction manual.

Regarding the issue of preferred format, the group was quite divided. Chris, Greg and William were all in favor of paper-based instruction manuals. While Chris stated,“I would definitely prefer the paper format”, Greg justified his choice with “Well, you know? The threshold for looking up a website is too high for me”. Ava, on the other hand, stated that“I think that[a web-based format]would be perfectly fine for me, it would actually suit me quite well. And since I am always on my cellphone, how easy would it be to just scan a QR code and ‘ta-da!’ the instruction manual is right there”. Rose agreed with Ava, and she added“in addition, right? You can view the transition to the web-based system as an environmental measure which is so important now and seems so important for many companies and service providers”. However, Rose could also resonate with the opponents of the web-based system

“Well it might not be for everyone, but at least for me it’s a great option”.

Against the background of these findings, I may tentatively conclude that there are to a varying degree an intention of use related to a web-based instruction manual system. How-ever, important to consider: (1) there exist a factual threshold for some people to look up an instruction manual on the web, rather than having it delivered (in a paper-based format) in the package. Although approximately half of the respondents expressed a positive attitude toward a web-based system, one cannot, ignore the fact that some consider the web-based format to be an additional (and even tiresome) step in reaching their end goal, namely to assemble a product. This seems to be one of the major issues regarding transitioning the in-struction manual from a paper format to a web-based format. (2) Although nine 9 out of 17

people expressed that they preferred a paper-based format, Focus Group 1 which included the most senior participants, was the only group were all participants preferred the paper-based format. This may indicate that it is less likely that a senior target group will accept the web-based instruction manual system compared to a younger target group. While I do not have any data pointing to any specific explanatory factors, extant literature, however, suggest that this observation can be tied to their lack of experience with technology, or that some of the more senior people possess more computer anxiety than younger people, and that they also have less self-efficacy than the younger target group.